I don't belong here, even if I want to
by MariaFeline
Summary: This is a story, about happened right before Kurogane was born. A little girl, who would in future join the travelers, first came to Suwa and met Kuroganes parents. She grows fond of them, but know inside that she can never be them, even fi she wants to.
1. Chapter 1

** I don't belong here, even if I want to **

The sky was clear at that land, where they came. They landed in woods, which was good thing. Seeing a little girl with a black panther maybe wasn't normal to see in this world.  
"Spinel where are we this time?" little girl asked.  
"Not sure, we need to find who ever lives here, so I could be sure" said panther while looking around.  
"Wait here." Spinel said and took couple of steps ahead. Girls stood still as if she was in some kind of spell that didn't allow her to move, if Spinel didn't say so. The panther turn around to look at the girl.  
"I think we are in Japan" he said looking at girl like saying that she can come close to him.  
"You mean same Japan where Yuuko-san lives? This doesn't look like it." Girl said when she came next to Spinel.  
"This is different Japan, here people relay on priestess and their wisdom. Maybe we will find our answer in this land" Spinel said looking forward.  
"Do know anyone wise here?" girl asked.  
"No, we need to ask someone"Spinel said.  
"But I don't know the language of this land and … you better do the talking" Girl said at loud voice.  
"Yana, don't be so loud, someone might hear you..." Spinel said before a large monster came out through trees.  
"Or something."Spinel said before he catched the girl with his teeth from her sleeve and throw her away from the fight. Yana fell to the ground and while she turned around both panther and monster were fighting.  
The fight was quick, monster was too big for Spinel to handle. After monster had couple of times pushed Spinel to the ground, it came ford to Yana. Yana was still a little hurt from falling and she barely got up to face the monster.  
"You fool, run!" Spinel screamed.  
Yana closed her eyes as like to prepare to receive the pain and hurt that was about to come.

She only heard that something was hit. When she opened her eyes she saw Spinel with bloody forehead and monster holding his forehead-gem in its big hands and ate it. Then it went away.

"Spinel, a-are you okay?" Yana asked with trembling voice.  
"NO I'M NOT!" he shouted. "WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING IN YOUR HEAD?"  
"I'm so sorry." she said. Spinels anger was obvious in his eyes, but soon it came down.  
"How can I protect you now when my powers are gone?" he said with calm voice.  
Yana started to cry. It was her fault that Spinel was hurt and powerless now that his forehead-gem was gone.  
"Stop crying. You'll need strength to go forward. We need to find someone, who can help us."  
"To get your gem back?"  
"To give us an answer to our question. The gem isn't important now, besides that monster will regret taking my gem soon." Spinel said with grin.  
"Why?"  
"Those monsters don't have a heart and my gem uses power from the heart, without a heart the gem will eat the body and energy of the monster."  
"So, where we go now?" Yana said drying her eyes.  
"Just some where for now. I also need to change my form to smaller one to restore at least some energy ".

After saying that Spinel started to shrink. He kept shrinking and shrinking till he looked like a black cat. Yana lifted him in to her arms.  
"Unfortunately, now you need carry me and not to talk to me. " cat said without moving its mouth.  
"Why?"  
"You don't know the language of this country so talking to a cat with weird language will be odd. So we'll pretend that you are just mute"  
"Okay"

"Stop." Spinel said. Yana stopped like there was wall in front of her. She looked if anyone was near before she talked to Spinel in her arms.  
"What is it?"  
"I sence strong power in front of you."  
"I don't feel it". Yana looked at front of her, there was a road that went between two big fields to a village. At the east side of the village there was wood and at the west side of the village was a lake.  
"It's a... Kekkai."Spinel said.  
"What, you mean like a shield?"  
"It's protecting everything that's inside of it. Maybe it's placed here because of the monsters, like the one we ran into two days ago"  
"Is it save to us to go in?" Yana asked remembering the monster from two days ago made her scared.  
"I'm sure it's okay us to go, it stops monsters to get in. Beside maintaining a strong kekkai like this means that there is a Miko inside"  
"How do we know she is there?"  
"... I forgot you still can't talk to humans here."  
" Well, let's at least try." Yana said and took couple firm steps inside the kekkai.

When Yana walked through the road couple of farmers saw her and greeted her with a smile. Yana smiled back to them, since she couldn't greet with any words.  
"People seems to be very nice here"Yana wispered to Spinel when they past the farmers.  
"You walked inside the kekkai it mean you mean no harm"Spinel said.  
"This feels different from the heavenly city.  
"Don't mention that place. I'm still glad we didn't need to stay there for paying the prize."  
"True, if they know the answer to the question we would have needed to stay there to pay the prize of traveling time and dimensions. Yuuko-san said that when answer is clear we need to stay in that world who gave us the answer."  
"Let's see if Miko of this place can give us the answer" Spinel said before they came to the village.  
At first everyone stared them a pit, but then they returned to they works what ever they were doing.  
Children were playing and running, adults were talking and working. In middle of the village there was a tree with large shadow. Yana went to sit right under it. She lied against the tree, she was tired for long walk. Yanas feet were hurt she did have any shoes. Spinel had hardly the power to change her outfit into yukata. So her appearance didn't make anyone stare them.  
"At least I can walk with it" she said when her outfit was changed. It was hot so it was good she was wearing any of her original clothes, it would have been very unpleasant in this weather.

"My my, you are new here" an old woman said. Yana didn't even notice her before she talked to her. With the old woman there was a boy holding bucket with water.  
"Poor thing, you must have walked very long way, your feet look very tired".  
Yana looked her feet and they were red and swelling.  
"Little one do you have name?". Before Yana could answer Spinel started to meowing like a cat who begged for food. Yana remembered that she couldn't talk yet. Spinel gave her yesterday ability to hear and understand what people were talking.  
"What a pretty cat." the old woman said while she was scratching Spinel.  
"It's pure black." the boy said. "it might bring bad luck."  
"Only if he has green eyes... see his eyes are blue" old woman.  
"Okay grandma." boy said and looked at Yana.  
"So what is your name?"  
Yana stayed silent.  
"Are mute or what?"boy said. Yana nodded her head.  
"Poor thing, it must very hard for you" old woman said. The boy went also silent because he realize that the girl couldn't talk.  
"Don't worry this is very peaceful land. Nothing bad happens in Suwa".


	2. Chapter 2

** I don't belong here even if I want to. Part 2 **

Suwa, the name kept ringing in Yanas head, when she followed the old woman and the boy to their house. It was a small house, well... not so small than in other land. The old woman and the boy went inside, Yana stayed outside. Boy stood in the door hole. A bit later old woman came with sandals.  
" These are bit worn out but I'm sure they'll fit on you" old woman said. Yana took the sandals and put them to her feet . They were a bit big, her feet slipped out a bit.  
"They use to belong to my sister" boy said. "They don't fit her any more".  
Spinel meowed, and then it jumped to Yanas arms.  
"Bow your head as thanks," he whispered to Yanas ear unnoticed.  
Yana bowed her head down. The old woman smiled at her.

It was the scream that made Yana freeze. It sounded like roar of an animal and jet it was something more horrible. Yana heard that sound only once, in her first day in Japan. When the monster attacked them. Even if it made Yana freeze, she still tried to look at the creature, who made that sound. Suddenly the boy pulled her inside the house.  
"Quickly hide yourself, it's dangerous when Oniis attack." he said. Yana looked through the window to see what happened. She saw a back of big creature, when it turned around Yana gasped. It was the same monster, that attacked them in wood. But it was different, its face, it was like it had melted, there was parts of body missing and Spinels gem was on its forehead. Spinel recognize it too.  
"You said that monsters can't come inside the kekkai." Yana whispered to Spinel in her arms.  
"It's not an ordinary monster anymore, my gem gave it more power to come in. Of course, it wasn't free to use my gem as one likes, soon it will die unless it tries to pull something big first" Spinel whispered while he was looking outside to the monster rambling in village.  
" We have to wait till the lord comes. He will take care of that monster." Said old woman.

Yana suddenly jumped out of the window. She ran at the monster, which was breaking a house near to it.  
"What is going in your head now?" Spinel asked holding with his nails to Yana shoulder.  
"I'm gonna make sure it won't pull anything big here".

Yana took a stone from the ground and throw it to the monster. It worked with one plow, when it noticed Yana it came at her.  
"And now what?" Spinel said.  
" To the wood." Yana said and started to run as fastest she could. The monster followed her. Other people tried to get away from their way, when they ran through village. Finally when they got out, Yana increased her speed and ran to wood next to village, praying that no-one would be there. The smell of rotten body of monster made her sick. If it would be for fear she might have thrown up already.

They got in the wood and it was more difficult to monster to move. It had lost one of its feet to the decomposing body. Yana ran faster and tried to find a place to hide.  
"Looks like it came to village looking for us" Spinel said when they got behind a huge rock.  
"Why?" Yana asked while she tried to catch her breath.  
"Because my gem is killing it inside. It thinks, that we put a curse on gem, when it took it."  
"What we do? It's after us, we can't go to village and risk everyone there."  
"I'll try to get my gem back some how, you stay out of the way and..."  
Right then, a huge hand broke the stone in to pieces and grabbed Yana. Yana felt how her ribs were crushing, it became hard to breath. All she heard was how a cat hissed at monster and it try to attack, but being so small it hardly scratched monster. Then all went dark.

Spinel didn't give up, he bit, scratched, jumped from trees to make monster to drop Yana.  
Yana didn't move anymore, that made him more desperate. He needed help, before Yana would die.

Neither Spinel or monster didn't except to have company. A group of ninjas came and started to attack monster. Their tried the same thing as Spinel, make the monster to drop Yana of its hand. Even if monster had now more to go against, it still didn't let go the girl. As it knew that it was exactly, what they wanted. It put Yana in front of them and squeezed its hand to make girl to scream of pain.  
"That thing is the ugliest monster I've ever seen crossing the kekkai." someone said. Spinel looked at the way, where the voice came. He saw a man with short black hair and red eyes, wearing blue armor that had image of dragon on it. The man was holding a long sword in his hand.  
"And maybe the most coward one. Holding a defenseless girl as a hostage is just one reason more to get rid of you." he said before he ran at monster with sword and made cut to monsters arm. First monster groaned of pain but then it came at man trying to smash him down.  
"What the heck is that thing, doesn't it feel any pain?" man said when he got a bit away of monster.  
"My Lord, any of our ninjas couldn't hurt it." said a man who had an eyepatch on his left eye.  
"If we don't hurry the girl will die soon".  
Spinel swallowed, he knew what made monster so impossible to kill. It was because of his gem, the gem will kill the monster soon, but it might be too late for Yana. Maybe that's why it grabbed Yana as to revenge its pain and its form, that it was now. If Spinel got the gem on its forehead, it would be easy to take it down.  
"Hey wait a minute..." he though. "Instead of getting Yana down, why not get the gem first?"

Spinel looked around and tried to find a way to get to monsters head. Some of the trees lost their branches, so he could use them anymore. The bambu behind the monster wasn't good idea, he couldn't climb through them. The rock was in pieces, only higher enough were the ninjas around the monster.  
"Oh heck," Spinel said. Then he started to run at ninja, who was closest to monster. He pulled out his nail to grab the leg of the ninja. The ninja shouted of surprise, still Spinel didn't stop climbing to the head of the ninja. When he got up, he jumped to the monsters shoulder.  
"What is that cat doing?" said man, who hold the sword in his hand. Monster also noticed cat on its shoulder and tried to shake him down. Monster couldn't use its other hand, because that supported its rotten body. Spinel came to the monsters head and started to scratch its forehead. That made the monster howl of pain. It tried to shake the cat off his head, finally it dropped Yana of its hand. The man with sword ran to catch her. Yana fall to the mans arms and coughed she could finally breath.  
"Try to hit monsters forehead maybe that's the way to slay it" man shouted to others.  
"No way, they'll smash the gem" Spinel said and took the gem with his teeth and pulled out of monsters forehead. The howl and the groan of monsters were so loud, that maybe even the village heard it too. Spinel swallowed the gem, then the little cat started to grow.  
"What is that?" men asked to themselves when the cat kept growing to a panther. When Spinel was in his original form, he bit at the monsters neck and didn't let go. The monster didn't fight anymore, after couple of minutes it fell down. Spinel let go of the monsters neck and walked away off its corpse.  
"Maybe dying this way was better than dying from inside." He though.

"Who are you?" man shouted. Spinel looked at man, who was holding Yana. He also hold the sword pointing at him. Even ninjas were ready attack now Spinel.  
"I assume you are the Lord of this land." Spinel said calmly.  
"Yes I am. Now, who are you? " man said.  
"My name is Spinel."  
"What did you do right now?"  
"That monster used my gem to get inside of kekkai. It also made it to look like that."  
"What are you?"  
"My species have many names. I'm not sure, what you call my species in this land."  
"What they call you in your home land?"  
"Seconds."  
"Odd name for species" Said man with eyepatch said.  
"What is your business in Suwa?" man holding Yana asked.  
"I came with that girl, who you are holding" Spinel said. "We were looking a miko, the kekkai protecting this land proves that there is one here ."  
"Why are you looking for miko?"man asked.  
"We need answer to our question."  
"What question?"  
"How I know, that I can tell you more?"Spinel said. "Give me the girl. It makes me uneasy, when a stranger is holding someone I'm suppose to protect."  
"You don't trust me?"  
"You are holding my protege, your men are surrounding me and the only thing I know about you is, that you are the Lord of this land". Some of ninjas looked at Lord,like saying, there is a point.  
"My name Kurogane." he said.  
"Do you know the miko, who made the kekkai?" Spinel asked.  
"Yes, she is my wife." Kurogane said.


	3. Chapter 3

** I don't belong here even if I want to. Part 3**

The sun was setting when group of men ride to the center of Suwa, where the house of Suwas Lord was. Spinel and Yana were taken with them, because Yana didn't wake up yet. They though, that it would be dangerous to leave her in wood without treatment. Yana ride with the Lord and Spinel with his general. Spinel was in his cat form now, it would be odd to see panther running at side with horses. Spinel was tired, after fighting the monster, yet he didn't allow himself to fall asleep, not till they'll reach the miko. So he concentrate to watch Yana, if she would wake up or something else. The Lords general, the man with eyepatch, noticed Spinels uneasiness.  
"Don't worry Spinel-san, our miko-hime can help your little friend, she'll be alright." he said.  
"Why are you helping us?" Spinel asked. "We are strangers in this land. People would usually avoid this girl, because of me."  
"An old woman in village was very worried of her. She told us, that your protege leaded the monster out of the village. You also did all you could to save her, even it blowed up you identity." general said.  
"Oh great, that woman gave her sandals, now when she wakes up, she'll starts to worry about couple of sandals in the wood." Spinel said.  
"Ain't she gonna worry about what happened to her?" general asked.  
"She never worries about herself." Spinel said and went silent.

Soon they came to the Lords house. To Spinel it was a mansion, he bet that a castle would be bigger. Soon he remembered something.  
"Do you have herbs in this mansion?" he asked the general.  
"Yes, miko-hime uses them to cure people. Why do you ask?" he said.  
"I'll need some for my protege, before she does something stupid."  
General didn't ask anymore, right then they entered from the gate to the mansion. There were maids and stableboys ready to take their master in. The Lord came down of his horse and carried Yana to the mansion. Spinel jumped down of the horse and ran next to Lord.  
"Where do you keep herbs?" he asked.  
"In backroom, why?" he said.  
"My protege needs more treatment than I remembered." Spinel said and ran to the back of the mansion. He founded the room by smelling the herbs.

The Lord brought Yana to room where maids were lighting lamps and preparing a futon. He put Yana laying to the futon, when a woman with long black hair came in.  
"My Lord, who is this young one?" she asked.  
"She was attacked by monster in border village." he said.  
The woman came near Yana and looked at her. She touched her forehead and slipped her hand to the cheek.  
"There is no fever, yet she has some sort of pain."  
"That's because monster hold her too tight too much." said a voice behind her. The woman turned around and saw a cat holding a bowl in its mouth, which was full of herbs.  
"Monsters body also started to produce poison, when it's body started to decompose." cat said while it walked next to girl.  
"My Lord, this cat can talk?" woman said to Lord. Cat started to organize it brought. It put each species of herb in different place, like doctor organize his medicine.  
"Would you ask servants not come in this room?" cat finally said after organizing herbs. When doors were closed and couple of ninjas standing front of door, Spinel started to grow again. The woman gasped, when she saw cat growing to a panther. When Spinel was in his original form, from his back started to grow two big blue wings of butterfly. When they came out, the herbs started to float in air each specie of plant in its time. Some of herbs dried in minutes in air and became dust, some herbs just lost couple of leafs and some were teared. Finally they all landed back to bowl looking like a some sort of soup.  
"Move her clothes." Spinel said.  
"What?" woman said.  
"I need to see her chest." Spinel said and bowed to near the bowl. The woman remove bit of girls clothes to see her chest, where was black lines, like a hand reaching girls heart. Yana went pale, the lines where moving towards her heart. Spinel mourned something to the bowl, then everything in bowl started to float again this time all of it went to girls face. She breathed some of it in and some of it she drank. The lines in her chest started to disappear little by little till it was all gone.  
"-sigh – Good, she is fine now." Spinel said and slowly lied down his wings till they vanished.  
"You come from other world." woman said to Spinel.  
"I assume then that you are the miko of this land" Spinel said.  
"Yes I am." miko said.  
"Good, we need talk to you."  
Before Spinel could continue, girl mourned something. Spinel went near her and talked to her calmly saying she had nothing to worry anymore. The Lord and Miko didn't understand the words girl was speaking to panther. She didn't open her eyes, guess she didn't need to, since she heard Spinels voice. Soon she fall asleep again. Spinel looked at Miko.  
"I just want to, if you can answer our question." he said.  
"What kind of question?" Miko asked.  
"What are Ten Times?"  
"Excuse me?"  
"Time, what Time means so one can pay ten of it?"  
"I'm not sure, one pays time by losing it to something, but pay it ten times."  
"First one need to how much one Time is" Lord said.  
"I don't know how much is one Time and less I know how much ten Times are." Spinel said.  
"Why do you need this answer?" Miko asked.  
"She needs it" Spinel said and looked at Yana. "She has to pay ten Times before she can move forward." Yana kept sleeping whole time, her hand on Spinel paw.  
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't answer your question" Miko said.  
"-sigh- It's okay." Spinel said looking at Yana. "It would have been too easy" he though.

"I don't know if it helps, but I know some other Mikos, who are stronger and wiser than me." Miko said.  
"Where they live?"Spinel asked and raised his head quickly.  
The Lord brough map to the room and placed in front of Spinel.  
"Here is Suwa" Lord pointed a place in map.  
"One Miko lives here, one here and one here." Miko said and pointed three spot in map. One in south of Suwa, one in southeast and one in west.  
"They are all so far." Spinel said. "Maybe 125 miles to the closet one." Spinel went silent. He looked to his sides, like he was looking for a solution, written on wall. After some minutes, he sighed and said.  
"Can she stay here?"  
"What?" Miko said.  
"Just inside the kekkai. I can't take her with me, it will be too dangerous with all the monsters and my powers haven't returned completely yet." Spinel said.  
"You can't move around in that form and as cat you'll get killed" Lord said.  
"I can change in to human, but it will decrees my powers almost to the edge." Spinel said. The Lord and Miko looked at each other, thinking what to answer. They looked at Yana who was still holding Spinels paw.

"I'll look after her." Miko said. "She can stay with me until you come back."  
"She can't talk yet your language, even so she can understand what you are saying." Spinel said. "And yet, she has hard past, so sometimes she can be very traumatic."  
"With one more reason, I'll look after her" Miko said. Spinel though it a bit before he answered.  
"It will take for me six or seven month to get back." he said.  
"I'll take good care of her" Miko said. Spinel got up and walked to the door.  
"By the way, what is this girls name?" Lord asked.  
"I'm not allowed to tell you that without her permission" Spinel said. "Call whatever you like, it doesn't matter to her."  
Spinel opened the door and jumped to the top of wall and then he went away.

"Are sure about this, my Lady?" Lord asked from Miko.  
"She is alone in this world, she'll need someone to look after" Miko said turned to call maids.  
"Someone who understand her."


	4. Chapter 4

I don't belong here even if I want to. Part 4 It was dark, when Miko sent servants to prepare bath for the girl. While servants were leveling girls hair ( it was a mess), Miko were looking over all small kimonos to the girl. Her husband the Lord was sitting at the corner, watching his wife looking, witch kimono will she choose, the white-blue or white-green. "It's pretty to see you so concentrating on this." He said finally. "It's very hard to know, what kind of dress will suit her, she hasn't woke up yet. If I'd know what kind of personality she has, it would be easy to chose color for her." She said. "A color tells that?" "Sure, colors tell more than you think, like white is for innocence. But I don't know will she like blue or green." "Too bad, that she is not like my wife." He said and came to Miko. "Who looks beautiful in every color." Soon a loud scream, that made even the guards outside to froze, came from somewhere in the mansion. The lord opened the door to the garden, where he saw a girl running away from servants, and then she ran away from ninjas, who came to see, what was the noise. The girl started to run towards a tree in the garden and started to climb on it. "Don't climb! Please, get down before you fall!" Maids were shouting. "Someone get her down! One of the guard said. The little girl kept climbing to the branches, when she got to the branch of ten feet, she sat to the branch to look around for an exit. Finally, she noticed other branch leading over the wall, that was surrounding the house. She started to climb again, but this time branches were weaker. Some of them let out cracking noise, while she climbed from branch to another. She also tried to ignore people under the tree, which was difficult, when they shouted or tried to talk her down. "Stop staring and get her down!" Lord shouted while coming toward the tree. That scared the girl so, that she lost her balance on the branch, which also made the branch crack more. Panicking the girl tried to grab other branch, but it broke, which made girl to fall. Her foot got stuck between branches, which made her hang upside down from the leg. She screamed of pain that branches made to her foot and tried to shake herself down, which made it hurt more. "Stop shaking yourself." Lord said and tried to climb the tree. Girls head started to turn red, she screamed and tried to move her foot on branch, which only made it worse. Lord got himself near the girl and now tried to get her body up, before she'll lose her conscious. He placed girls head on his shoulder and tried to move her foot off the branch. Foot was stuck between the branches, so he broke the branch and climbed down with the girl. On the ground, Lord broke the branch around girls foot, while maids hold her head, so the blood would start to circulate again. Girls foot was red and was tron a bit of all the shaking. "She is coming back to her conscious." Maid said holding her head. When the girl opened her eyes, she jumped up, scared look on her face, and fell down, since her foot was hurt. Being scared, she tried push herself away from people around her, till the wall stopped her way. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you." Lord said and tried to reach his hand at girl, which made her even more scared. Maids tried to help her to get up, but she kept moving away of them. Then, Miko came to see the girl. "Poor little girl, she must be scared to death." She said. Miko knelt down close to girl and looked at her. She saw fear in her eyes and her body trembling. Miko reached her hand, girl pulled her hands front like a cross to protect herself. Still, Miko reached her hand and gently touched girl cheek. She kept trembling, even when she lowered her hand down, she was looking now directly at Miko. "There is nothing to be afraid of." She said. Girl started to speak unknown language, she sound a bit panicking, but no-one didn't know what she was trying to say. The Lord understood only one word, 'Spinel'. "Your guardian needed to go to search other miko, he asked us to look after you." He said. Girl looked at him, her eyes didn't have fear anymore, she was shocked. She was about to say something, but she remind silent. Miko saw this. "I know this is hard for you, but he told us, that he'll back after couple of months, till that time we'll take care of you." She said. Girl looked at her, like knowing why she was left here, then she nod her head. Miko smiled and raised girl head to face her. "Shall we go to clean yourself up." She said. Girl looked at maids as being embarrassed of running away from them. At bathroom, maids were washing girls back while bathwater was getting warm. Miko brought some herbs and oils. "Would you prepare these" Miko said to one of the maids. Miko came to girl, she was a bit sad. "Is everything alright?" Miko asked. Girl just nod her head. "Does your foot still hurt?" she asked. Girl tried to move her foot, she twisted of pain, when she moved it. "Don't worry it will be better soon." Miko said. She took some of herbs in piece of clothing and tie it around girls foot. Then she and other maid helped her to the bath. Girls instantly felt, how in warm water the herbs felt bit cool. "Feel any better?" Miko asked. Girl nod her head and for first time, her face had a bit of smile. "That's good." Miko said. After while maids brought a yukata for girl. The girl was still trying to wash herself with warm water. She took water to her hands and splashed it to her face. "Looks like you like being in water" Miko said and smiled at her. The girl blushed a bit. After bathing maids helped her to get stand and to dress yukata. Meanwhile Miko took some oil and put it to girls foot. "I'm sure, that tomorrow it will be alright." She said. At outside, Lord, his general and some ninjas were discussing about what they saw. "That girl acts like a ninja." General said. "With so fast reflects, and fast thinking, she almost escaped from here." "Good thing she didn't." Lord said. "To think, some of our ninjas can't catch one little panicking girl." "We never thought, that a girl would be so talented, like a ninja." One of the ninjas said. "Or like a monkey." Other ninja said. "I have to say, I was surprised too." Lord said. "Her guardian did say, that her past was hard, but I still didn't except this." "I wonder, will it be okay to train her a bit?" General said. "HUH?!" Lord said. "Well, since she has fast reflex and fast mind, I'm sure it won't need much of training." Said general. "You gotta be kidding me." Lord said. "Train a little girl to become a ninja." "Not so bad idea." One ninja said. "We won't teach her become ninja, we'll teach her to use her abilities better." General said. "Just that?" Lord asked. "Yes, my lord." "No weapons." "Of course not." "What are you men talking?" Miko asked coming behind the corner.. "Nothing." All the men said. "Well, however, she is finished." She said and watched at corner. There was something moving behind the corner, a clinch of face came behind, but then it went back again. "Don't be shy you look lovely." Miko said to someone behind the corner. All the men bend themselves to see who was there. A small figure came behind the corner. She was wearing white under garment, then a blue clothing with fishes and water plants. The girl was blushed, while limped next to Miko. "Awww." All the men said. It made the girl blush more and she jumped behind Miko to hide herself. "Aww, isn't that cute." One ninja said. "So, you decided on blue." Lord said. "Actually, it was the fishes." Miko said. "Since she likes water like them." Girl was still hiding behind her, sometime she took a peek at men and then hide herself again. "Looks like, she is shy as they are." lord said coming closer to her. "I would thought monkey would have describe her better." Girl made look at him, this time her face showed, that she didn't like being called a monkey. "Ups, I think I made her mad." Lord laughed. "Well, monkey doesn't suit for lady." General said and some ninjas laughed. "Hey, that reminds me, what should we call her?" Lord asked. Everyone looked at girl, like excepting her to answer. She hide her face again, this time she tried to push her face to Miko clothing, like to erase her face. "Hey, your guardian said he can't tell us your name, because you were sleepingand that he needed your permision, would you tell us your name?" Lord said. The girl was silent, she still hid her face. "We have to call you something." Lord said. No answer. Lord scratched his head. Everyone saw, that girl didn't want or couldn't tell her name. "Should we call her 'Chiisai'?" Miko finally said. "Little? Well, until we know her name, why not." Lord said. Girl finally took face out of clothing and looked at lord and Miko. "Chiisai, would you like eat something, before you get to sleep?" Miko asked. Girl looked at Miko and node her head, and for first time, she actually smiled. 


	5. Chapter 5

** I don't belong here even if I want to. Part 5 **

Everyone was sleeping, servants, maids, ninjas who weren't keeping guard and Lord and Miko. Miko was now in dream, sometimes she saw visions in there. Now in front of her, there was a girl, same girl, who came today.  
"Chiisai?" Miko asked. The girl didn't look at her, she tried look around her, but she didn't seem to see Miko next to her.  
"You can enter into dream?" Miko asked. Girl didn't seem to hear her. Soon the girl started slowly to fade away.  
"She is awaking." Miko thought. "Little-one, what is your name?"  
Girls face went pale, there was fear again in her eyes. Miko tried to see, what made girl so afraid.  
"She must be seeing a dream or a vision." Miko thought. Before girl disappeared competently, she started to scream out loud.

Miko woke up sweating to screams, that came from somewhere in the house. Miko knew right away, who it was and ran to a room in the other end of hallway. Some of guards came to the rooms door. Miko went past them and opened door. The girl was pale, she tried to catch her breath, which seemed to be hard for her right now. Miko knew it wasn't an ordinary nightmare. She came to the girl and took her in her arms. Girl was trembling, she trembled even more than before. Lord came to the door to see, what was wrong.  
"A nightmare?" he asked.  
"Worse," Miko said. "It was a dream."  
Suddenly, girl stood up and ran outside, or limped, her foot was still hurting. When she got out, she put her hands together, whispered something to her hands and opened them. A small butterfly came out of her hands and flow to the sky. Then, girl just collapsed to the ground. Miko came quickly to take girl back to her arms.  
"She was in dream?" Lord asked behind Miko.  
"I saw her there." Miko said. "But she couldn't see me. She started to fade away, then she saw something horrible, when she screamed she woke up."  
"Do you know, what she saw?" Lord asked.  
"No, I didn't see it."

Miko tried again to see her in dreams, girl was there, but she was different. Her clothes looked like worn out bag garment, her hair was cut short, and she was crying.  
"What happened to you?" Miko asked being terrified. Girl just look at her way and said one word before she disappeared.  
"Help."

_

In the morning, girl didn't seem to remember her dream. She walked in garden looking around.  
Her foot was healed, but she didn't run yet. Maybe, running at night to release the butterfly, made the foot a bit sensible. Still, girl didn't seem to be bother by it. She watched fishes in the pond, she followed butterflies, she also stopped to watch birds on trees branches. But Miko was still worried, what she saw in the dream, bothered her so much. How and why, did girls appearance change in dream. Well, one can control ones own dream, as how one looks like in it. Still why did girl appearance was so rough. Was it, because of the dream, she saw. What exactly did she saw? Spinels words came to her mind: "She has hard past, so sometimes she can be very traumatic."  
Was that the part, were she was traumatic, seeing a horrible dream and then her appearance in dream like a slave. Maids walked behind the girl all time, making sure she won't fall or hurt herself. Right now, no-one would have thought, that the same girl would have had any problems with anyone or anything. Whatever it was, she needed help.

Suddenly, girl stopped her doings and looked up to the sky. A blue butterfly was flying at her. It was the same butterfly she sent last night. It landed to girls extended hand, then she put her hands together like last night and when she opened them, the butterfly was gone. Maids were astonished about what she did. But for a moment, it seemed to Miko, that girl didn't pay any attention to anything around her for minute. When girl came to it, she was bit embarrassed about, what she did.  
"Where you making sure, that your friend is alright?" Miko asked coming toward girl. She nodded.  
"Was he alright?" Miko asked. Girl nodded again with more confident.  
"That's good to hear." Miko smiled.

At evening, when Lord and his men came, the girl was sleeping in her room. Miko told about the butterfly to her husband.  
"A messenger? The butterfly?" He said.  
"So it seems, she was very still and silent, after she received the butterfly." Miko said.  
"She doesn't trust us." Lord said with a serious look on his face.  
"Still, I'm worried about the dream, she doesn't noticed, that she can enter to the dream." Miko said.  
"Are you trying to talk to her again in dream?" lord asked.  
"She seems to be able to do it there." Miko said.

In dream, Miko saw girl again. She didn't wear bag garment anymore, but a worn-out yukata. Her face was pale, but it had more color when Miko approached her.  
"Little-one, are you alright?" she asked. Girl looked at her direction, but soon she seemed to forget her.  
"Little-one?" Miko said and placed her hand on girls shoulder. Now girl really saw her.  
"Were you talking to me?" She asked. She looked at Mikos eyes, like she never saw them.  
"I just... don't know your name yet," Miko said. It was weird, as if girl didn't know about being in dream.  
"Oh, that's true, Spinel never told you my name." Girl said smiling. "Sorry, but I can't tell it either, not without Spinel"  
"How should I call you then?" Miko asked.  
"Anything you like." girl said smiling. "Just don't call me monkey."  
"Are you alright?" Miko asked. Girl was too unworried compared yesterday.  
"Yes, everything is alright, Spinel isn't hurt or anything. It was all a dream after all." Girl said.  
"You saw dream about Spinel?"  
"Yes, about he being killed, but it was just a dream."  
"Are you sure there wasn't more in dream?"  
"There was something about me in prison and blood, but it's okay it was just a dream."  
Miko went silent, this girl knew nothing about dreams.  
"Little-one, are you alright?" Miko asked again.  
"I told you everything is fine." Girl said.  
"No, asked about you, are YOU alright?" Miko said.  
"It doesn't matter, what happens to me." She said. Then girl started to fade away.  
"It's still nice, that you are worried about me." She said, before she was gone.

_

On next day, girl was in her room reading scrolls. Miko wasn't sure did she understand, what she read. Miko herself was in pray-room. She was praying for establishment for the kekkai. When she stopped, she got again worried of the dream with the girl. She didn't know her name, what she was dreaming in other night and why she seemed bit depressed.

Lord came back from border villages with his men. Miko came to greet him.  
"Children in village sent these for you." He said giving a bukée of flowers to his wife.  
"That was sweet of them," She said.  
They walked to center of the house. Lord noticed his wifes uneasiness.  
"How is the girl?" He asked.  
"I'm not sure." She said. "I can't read her in dream, neither when she's awake."  
"Where is she now?" Lord asked.  
Miko took him to girls room and opened the door. Room was a mes. There were scrolls and paper everywhere on the floor and girl sleeping in the center of the room, holding a scroll in her hand.  
"That's a lot of homework." Lord said looking at the floor filed with scrolls.  
"Did she read all that?" He asked.  
"I don't know, she didn't have this much, when I went to pray-room," Miko said and started to gather up all the scrolls. Lord came next to girl, he looked at her while she breathed slowly. Then he noticed something.  
"Hey, come look at this." He whispered to his wife.  
Miko came next to her husband. Her husband was holding girl hand, which had some ink stains.  
"Looks like, she didn't just read." Lord said.  
"That's odd, I don't see any ink or brooch." Miko said.  
Lord placed girl hand back to floor, where it was and pulled a piece of paper under her arm.  
"Look at this." He said showed the paper to his wife.  
The paper had three signs; "earth", "fire", "water". Each word had a picture next to it. Next to Earth there was a cat, next to Fire there was bird and next to Water was a dog.  
"Looks like she is looking, how to write these animals." Miko said.  
"She already did." lord said and took up another piece of paper.  
This one had signs cat, dog and bird, but there were stained with ink.  
"What is she doing?" lord said.  
"I'm going to ask her." Miko said looking at paper.  
"In dream?" he said.  
"Yes."


End file.
